


Once Upon A Dream

by Myrime



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Arguing, Banter, Dreaming, F/M, Fade, Fade Sex, Kissing, Porn With Plot, Romance, Sex, Solas Being Solas, at least a bit of plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 15:58:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9079534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myrime/pseuds/Myrime
Summary: "Kiss me," she asked, holding her breath, then smiled when he leaned in without hesitation. And then - because in the Fade she could still allow herself to get lost in silly dreams - she added: "Let's just never wake up."This is my gift for @promptparagon for the Solas Secret Santa 2016.I was going to write something Christmas themed, something sweet - I swear. Then the smut happened. (No regrets.)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PromptParagon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PromptParagon/gifts).



> As this is a gift it features promptparagon's Erelan Lavellan.  
> I hope you all had a happy holiday!

Passing over into the Fade had never been easier than it was now. Merely closing her eyes was enough to feel it tug at her, beckoning her to come. Erelan was not quite sure how that had come to pass, whether it was due to the mark on her hand or the ancient grounds of Skyhold. Maybe it was something else altogether. So many strange things were happening to her and their world that she had given up questioning every small change.

In fact, her newfound proficiency when it came to dreaming was something she even enjoyed. It was an easy escape when everything around her was becoming too much to handle. Quite a number of times the castle walls around her began to feel suffocating, but with only a whispered wish she could walk the forests of her childhood. When her new companions became too loud, too close, too demanding, she could call up her family’s ghosts and feel protected for a night, instead of having to protect everyone else.

With an amused snort, she thought of what any Chantry official would say to that. No, she did not even have to go that far, considering she shared a roof with Cassandra and Cullen. Their arguments would be plentiful: _The Fade is_ not _a place to feel safe in. Demons wait for the smallest opportunity to devour you. Don’t ever let your guard down._ The list went on endlessly. It was exhausting, really.

Erelan had braved the dangers of the Fade for most of her life, had withstood temptation and navigated the conflicting powers of desire and rational thought. This place beyond the veil was a kingdom she had only ever dared to glance at from afar, her keeper’s instructions clear in her ear. Only now did she realize how much she could learn there, how much knowledge was already lost to her because she had never dared to look for it.

This change had, naturally, come about because of Solas. His stories had woken her curiosity, but it was only after he had taken her to Haven in the Fade that she had finally given in to it. Now, she did not even consider ever going back to her previous, ignorant state. There was a whole world out there, just waiting to be explored. It also helped that she was both nothing and everything there. Just another dreamer but at the same time master of what shape her surroundings took. A welcome distraction from her waking reality.

Another side benefit was all the time she now spent with Solas. Not only was he a good teacher, he also was a friend. And more, although she was still reluctant to put that into words.

Finding Solas in the twisting maze of the Fade was both very easy and utterly impossible. If she actively searched for him, she would only meet the vastness of her memories of him, snippets and glimpses and ghosts. None of them revealed more than she already knew. But she only needed to whisper his name and he would come, his presence like a beacon, so bright and warm and _real_ that it was a true wonder that he could hide so successfully when he did not want to be found.

These days, however, he rarely missed the chance to spend the nights with her. Not, of course, in all the implications of those words, for he still insisted to keep his distance when awake. But once she fell asleep it would not take him long to join her in her dreams.

This night, Erelan barely let her surroundings take shape before she called for Solas. At least a week’s worth of travel was between her and Skyhold where she had left Solas when she had set out to Crestwood, so he could continue his research. It was a rational argument, but she had begun to regret it almost the very moment Skyhold had disappeared from her sight. She enjoyed his company that much.

A movement to her right alerted Erelan of Solas’ arrival as he stepped into her dream with effortless grace. A smile appeared on his lips and that was all the incentive she needed to hurriedly cross the distance between them.

“Solas,” she breathed, all but falling into his arms, which he had opened just in time to catch her. “I miss you.”

A chuckle rippled through his body as he held her close, although only for a short moment before he relaxed his hold. “It’s not that much longer until you’re back in Skyhold.”

“But it’s dreadful without you,” she said, clicking her tongue. When she drew back from him, she could see some emotion flickering over his face before it was gone and he looked at her questioningly. “And Varric’s been teasing me mercilessly about my ‘impatience to get back’.”

“Careful, vhenan,” he admonished softly and stepped away from her. “Or people will notice.” There it was again, his strange need to keep his distance from her. He seemed almost afraid to let her get too close. It confused her to no end.

“So, what if?” Erelan snapped, irritated all of a sudden.

“It could undermine your position as the Inquisitor, being seen to be affectionate with one of your companions. And an elf at that.” His tone was calm, but judging on his raised eyebrow he felt that this issue should not need to be explained at all.

“Let them talk.” She shrugged, not wanting to bring politics into this. Then again, she did not want to argue at all. Especially not now, when they had not seen each other in so long. “I don’t want our relationship to be purely based on the interactions we have in the Fade.”

It surely felt like that, at times. There was always a danger of being overheard or watched at Skyhold and when they were out on missions they were usually too busy with staying alive to deal with any personal matters.

“Would that be so bad?” Solas wondered, eyeing her curiously. No judgement was audible in his voice, but she knew his opinion of the Fade, knew he spent more time here than awake. Naturally, he did not see a problem with it. She, however, had different expectations of life.

“Don’t you want us to be _real_?”

His expression closed off then and she could feel him withdrawing from her. “We _are_ real. Here more than anywhere else.”

She scoffed and turned partially away, not wanting to see the honesty on his face. He surely believed what he was saying. “Here? The Fade is always changing. It’s inconsistent, building and rebuilding itself after the wishes of dreamers. Nothing here wears its true face.”

Erelan did not have to look for the lines appearing on Solas’ face to know that he was displeased with her argument. “It is built after our wishes, yes,” he said softly but insistent. “And thus, it reveals the dreamer’s true face.” Actual wonder clouded his voice, which only managed to irritate Erelan to the point where she fully turned her back on him.

She could not know it, but in that moment, Solas thought of flying palaces and deadly grandeur, of all the feats his fellow Evanuris had once prided themselves in and which the world around them had reflected without a fault. It was impossible not to miss the beauty of those days. Even despite – or maybe because – of the unexpected beauty right in front of him. Oh, how she could have shone as one of the Elvhen.

“So, the waking world means nothing to you?”

Solas almost missed her whispered question, lost in the sight of her backline, always straight, defiant. It was a wonder how anyone could think her fragile, no matter her delicate features.

“It has brought you to me,” he answered casually and reached out for her arm. Erelan did not resist his touch and when she looked at him she must have found something to soothe her irritation, for she sighed and then a small smile appeared on her lips. In response, the Fade around them brightened.

“It is just hard sometimes.” She leaned back into his warmth, closing her eyes.

Instead of answering, Solas put his arms around her and wished that this could be their forever. It was an irrational thing. They would wake up and the world would keep turning, still as wrong as it was when they had laid down.

Funnily enough, Erelan’s thoughts mirrored his own. Her reasons were different, of course, her goals were different. But this was a place for dreams and they both had so many of those.

Not allowing herself to hesitate, Erelan twisted in Solas’ arms until she faced him. “Kiss me?” she asked and almost held her breath.

Here in the Fade he was much more open with showing affection. Maybe it was the magic in the air making him more reckless. Still, he was a creature of discipline and she could never know whether he would restrain himself or simply give in to their mutual attraction.

This time, however, she need not have feared. Without further ado, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, soft and full of promises. He did not deepen the kiss, though, but laid his forehead against hers.

“Always, vhenan,” he said and his tone left no doubt that he really meant it.

Erelan smiled and reached up with her hands to cup his face. _Always_ was a possibility here, away from the worries and dangers of their lives. Corypheus could not reach here. The war did not touch this realm if they did not allow it.

“Let’s just never wake up,” she whispered, her breath caressing his cheekbone.

In response, he captured her lips again. This time his movements were fuelled by passion not gentleness and she thought she could very well lose herself in this moment. Her hands slid to the back of his head, pulling him in closer as if to make sure he would not disappear. Which he had absolutely no intention to do.

“Erelan,” he muttered while they separated shortly to draw breath and the simple sound of his voice calling her name made her knees go weak. If the smug smile on his face was anything to go by, he had counted for that to happen. The very moment she seemed to sway on her feet, he picked her up, pressing her against himself until she put her legs around his waist. This had her at the same height as him, which she immediately exploited to kiss him again.

Distantly, she felt him taking a few steps but her mind was thoroughly occupied by his tongue, which, as she had discovered early on, was not only good with words. Moments later, he lowered the both of them onto a soft surface and when they drew apart for air she glanced at their surroundings.

They were in chambers not unlike her own in Skyhold, smaller but brighter, dominated by a bed which was covered in a multitude of pillows as well as furs. She had wondered about that the first time he had created a private place for them, the furs. But she had never gotten around asking him and now she did not mind them at all, for they were soft and whispering of safety. Also, Solas was very good at keeping her brain occupied with other things.

Free to use her hands again, now that she did not have to hold onto him anymore, she slid them down to his chest and further until she could slip them under his shirt. The rough spun fabric effectively hid his muscles, but she could feel their alternating flexing and tensing as he moved to position himself atop her, propped on his elbows and gazing down at her intensely.

She knew the perfect moment he readied himself to draw back: He blinked once, twice, and held his breath before sighing quietly.

“We shouldn’t –” he said but she cut him off quickly. They had played this game before and she was not about to lose this time.

“Don’t you dare.” There was nothing she could or would do to hold him here if he really wanted to go, he needed only to will himself to wake up, after all. But he did not. And when she experimentally tugged him towards her, he followed readily and allowed his body to sink onto hers. She could feel then, how very much he did _not_ want to leave and now it was her turn to smile smugly.

“You will be the death of me,” he said before nuzzling the skin of her neck, causing her to moan.

“I very much hope I won’t,” Erelan pressed out between gasps while her back arched, bringing them even closer together. “Then you wouldn’t be able to do this anymore.” That would be a true shame, for he was very adept at finding her sensitive spots.

She pulled at the hem of his shirt in a futile attempt to get it off, filled with the need to feel his skin against hers. It did not work with them being so close and she almost groaned in frustration but then she remembered where they were.

Pooling her magic in her fingertips, which had never been easier than here with the Fade calling out to her, she willed her desire into being and both their clothes vanished into thin air. When Solas looked up in surprise, Erelan simply smirked. But then something in his eyes changed into pure hunger and she felt like she was dissolving under his gaze.

Her skin tingled where he touched her and for some endless moments she could do nothing but lie still, mesmerized under his fingers and lips. It always took her by surprise, that her body could feel this way. This wonderful, sweet, burning way.

Once she regained power over her senses, she put her own hands to good use. While her right trailed slowly down his chest, pausing over his heart to feel its beating, as erratic as her own, her left went to cup his behind, kneading the firm muscles. A moan escaped him when her movement caused his erection to press against her hips.

She had no time to enjoy her small victory over his self-control, however, for he immediately responded with lifting his body away from hers. Cold air invaded the space where there had only been skin seconds earlier, which caused her nipples to stand straighter. Her protest was transformed into a moan of her own when he lowered his mouth onto her breasts. Only an instant later, she felt his hand on her thigh, wandering upwards. Caught up in anticipation of his touch, Erelan raked her nails up his back but he took his sweet time, hovering over her folds while his tongue teased her nipple.

It was ridiculous, really, how wanton this man could make her feel with the simplest of touches. Although there was certainly nothing simple about the way his fingers moved. When she felt that she could not wait any longer, she lifted her hips in a jerky thrust. But he had expected her to do so – of course he had – and so she met nothing but even more cold air.

“Solas,” she pleaded, a mere whisper, blending in easily with their breathing.

Maybe his own impatience was getting the better of him or he was simply having mercy on her. No matter his reason, his hand finally found the pulsing centre of her arousal. While his thumb circled her swollen clitoris, he slowly pushed a finger into her dripping insides, one agonizing inch at a time, before adding a second one with trembling intensity.

A sound tore itself from Erelan’s throat that was caught between a moan and half-muttered syllables. It caused him to lift his face from her chest to stare at her in wonder, taking in the blond locks surrounding her like a halo, her flushed cheeks, the wildness in her eyes. And if he thought her beautiful in that moment, she felt herself enthralled with how changed he was himself. He looked empowered, somehow. Free.

She pulled his head down to her, meeting him with a kiss full of hunger and promises and some deeper feeling she dared not explore further. Thankfully, he erased all thoughts from her mind when his fingers inside her curled and he started stroking her. In response to the sensations shooting through her, she bit down on his lower lip. Tension was building rapidly in her body as he moved, but he was not yet ready to give her the release she craved.

When she reached down to caress his erection, intent on returning his teasing, he tutted. It would have sounded amused, had he not been breathless. Removing his fingers from inside her, he caught her hand to stop its wandering. Then he shifted almost before she could feel the sudden loss and positioned the tip of his throbbing cock right above her entrance, close enough to coat himself in her silky juice but not so close that she could actually feel him.

She need not have feared another round of merciless teasing, however, for Solas’ own restraint was crumbling. Then, with one swift thrust, he was in her, filling her completely and sighing contentedly at the tightness of her walls. They remained in that position for a few seconds, tasting the burning need to move before they actually did.

Almost in synchrony, they pulled apart. And while Solas adjusted the angle of her hips to allow himself better entrance, Erelan grabbed his arse, impatient in her arousal. Then Solas drove back into her, a growl on his tongue. She called out his name, almost a prayer on her swollen lips, and she was tempted to close her eyes, to let the feeling of him overwhelm her. But she could not. Not with his gaze bearing into her. Not while she was able to observe just what she was making him feel mirrored on his face. First a smile, then pure wonder etched into his features.

Their movements became more erratic. Nothing about it was gentle, but they did not need gentleness. They needed someone to show them that they were not alone, someone to overlook their past and future, someone with whom they could just _be_. And right there, they felt utterly complete.

“Erelan,” he breathed and it was that which pushed her over the edge. The combination of her name on his tongue, the sensation of his hard length buried inside her and the pure elation in his eyes, never straying from her. She came undone under his touch as he kept thrusting, her inner walls tightening around him. It was only seconds until he, too, found his release. His lips moved, although no sound was heard over their panting breaths.

Soon they lay still, sweaty bodies cooling slowly while their limbs were still intertwined, still buried in each other. If only they could stay like this forever.

At one point, Solas moved, slipping out of her but never losing touch entirely. Shifting, he settled next to her, one arm over her waist while she placed her head on his chest. No words were spoken while they lay there, willing time to stop trickling away. Solas’ heartbeat under Erelan’s ear was slow and steady. She would not have minded to listen to it for eternity. But sadly, while the Fade provided vast possibilities, it could not fulfil all dreams.

“Ir abelas, ma vhenan,” Solas said at one point. The reluctance in his voice was easily audible. “But it is time to wake up.”

Erelan did not move other than snuggling closer into his warmth. She did not want to return to her tent where she would be alone. She did not want to face the road ahead of her, too long still until she would see Skyhold. But if anything, she knew her duty.

Turning her head upwards she caught Solas’ lips in another kiss, sweeter now that their passion was sated. A goodbye for now.

The last thing she heard before the Fade was dissolving around her was his voice, full of promises: “We’ll see each other soon.”

* * *

The sun was not yet up when she woke, but she had never felt more rested. Her whole body was still tingling, flushed in remembrance of her union with Solas. Humming quietly to herself, she got up and put on her armour before leaving her tent to start on breakfast.

Varric sat next to the fireplace, holding watch over their encampment. When she walked over towards him, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“You’re looking awfully chipper for someone almost drowning in misery only a couple hours ago.”

Erelan could not help but smile, although she was very glad that the darkness hid the blush spreading over her cheeks. “What can I say? I just had a very nice dream.”

“A dream?” Varric cocked his head to a side as he mustered her. “Did it, perchance, feature one very bald elf?”

“Are you implying I’m having improper thoughts about one of our companions?” she asked, still sounding far too cheerful to fool anyone.

“Would I ever?” Sarcasm was dripping freely from the dwarf’s tongue. But then he sobered. “Just take care you don’t attract demons with your – dreams.”

Despite his genuine worry, Erelan smirked. “Oh, it was not a demon, believe me.”

It took Varric several moments to understand what she had meant, but when he did he froze shortly before laughing. “So, you and Solas – in the Fade? I mean, of course – Mage and Dreamwalker. I -” he sputtered and two small spots of pink appeared on his face. “I really should have known.”

Once he recovered from his momentary embarrassment, however, he looked like he was about to run for his notebook, fingers itching to write down whatever scene his mind was just composing.

“Wait,” he then said, eyeing her critically. “Does that mean we can stop travelling at this insane speed and give the horses a chance to not die from exhaustion?”

“No, dear friend,” Erelan responded, no sign of joking in her voice. “It means we’ll be going all the faster. You do have to know that the real thing is irresistible.”

Varric groaned while Erelan dissolved into pearly laughter. Life, she decided right then, despite all the bad things happening to their world, was good.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think.  
> All the best for 2017 for all of you.


End file.
